Los Angeles Lakers' Biggest Roster Questions Entering 2025 NBA Preseason
The Los Angeles Lakers open the preseason on Friday in Palm Desert, hosting the Phoenix Suns in their first exhibition game of 2025-26.
On paper, the team has improved since its first-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. The addition of center Deandre Ayton should give the squad much-needed size, and he'll presumably start alongside Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Coach JJ Redick was more open about naming starters ahead of his first campaign with the Lakers. But after experiencing the perilous journey of a regular season, he's downplayed the need to reveal his hand.
Getting through 82 games in the NBA can be more about surviving injuries than ideal basketball strategy. Still, Redick and the Lakers have several questions to answer as the regular season nears.
Who Is/Isn't Healthy?
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The greatest challenge to all teams is keeping players on the court. Unfortunately, basketball and injuries are inevitably paired.
Heading into training camp, the Lakers are in relatively good shape. Maintaining that will be the challenge.
The obvious priority is James, who may not play in the team's initial preseason contests with a nerve irritation (glute). There's no sense at this early stage that it's a significant concern, but with James turning 41 in December, pacing him properly will be paramount.
Newcomer Marcus Smart has struggled to stay on the court consistently throughout much of his career (especially in recent years) and is working through Achilles tendinopathy. Smart's availability this year will have significant ramifications on the team's rotation.
Currently, rookie forward Adou Thiero (No. 36 in the draft, acquired via trade) is working through knee swelling. He missed all of summer league and doesn't seem to be close to any real on-court time. The franchise was very excited to add him in June, but he doesn't seem poised to make any initial impact until he's able to practice.
Finally, Maxi Kleber has an MRI pending (quadriceps) that places his immediate availability in doubt.
Who Will Be the Fifth Starter?
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Assuming Dončić, James, Reaves and Ayton are securely four of the five starters, who will Redick go with as a fifth (assuming full health)?
Rui Hachimura is the incumbent, bringing size (6'8") and outside shooting (42.9 percent from three-point range last season). He's more confident as a starter. Arguably, the Lakers get the most out of Hachimura when he starts, which was why, in part, he was in the rotation ahead of Dorian Finney-Smith last year.
Redick needs to maximize this roster, not just one player. Hachimura remains a viable option for what he brings to the court. While he's not exceptionally agile on the perimeter defensively, he uses his size well and provides additional offense and spacing.
Redick has three reasonable options instead of Hachimura. Smart would provide a defensive upgrade, taking on the opposing team's primary perimeter scoring threat. Upgrading the Lakers' backcourt defense this season was a priority, and Smart is a former winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award (2021-22). While he shot well for the Washington Wizards over 15 games last season (39.2 percent from three), his career average of 33.5 percent is a significant drop-off from Hachimura's. The most significant caveat with Smart is durability, averaging 57.7 games through his 11 seasons.
Another option is Jake LaRavia, who may be the Lakers' most significant offseason acquisition after Ayton. He's a solid 6'7" forward, though Redick recently indicated he may earn rotation minutes at guard.
Almost 24, LaRavia has shown with the Memphis Grizzlies (and briefly with the Sacramento Kings) that he's a willing, high-effort defender. Whether he can do that at a playoff level isn't tested yet, but he could round out the starting five as a viable two-way player. LaRavia's case begins by outplaying Hachimura, offering more versatility on defense without sacrificing outside shooting.
Finally, Jarred Vanderbilt has his first healthy summer in years after extensive foot problems. He's a versatile, mobile defender at 6'8", but he hasn't provided any real offensive threat for the Lakers the past two seasons. Opposing defenses have often ignored him, shrinking the floor for L.A.'s other scorers.
Vanderbilt may be a more viable option when others are injured, barring a significant change in his ability to shoot.
Can Ayton Deliver?
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All of the above assumes Ayton is holding down the middle on both sides of the ball.
At media day, the 27-year-old center acknowledged many have counted him out at this stage of his career. He was a key starter on an NBA Finals team in Phoenix with the Suns (2020-21), but the team fell out of contention, and he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, who bought him out this summer, enabling him to join the Lakers.
It's been a few years since Ayton played meaningful basketball; many wonder if he's still capable of doing so.
Still, he has career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, shooting 59 percent. After playing with Chris Paul, he's well-suited to partner with Dončić, Reaves and James in the pick-and-roll. He's in a contract year with a player option before the 2026-27 season.
Overall, everything is in place for Ayton to have a career year on a team that needs exactly that from him. Now he must prove the skeptics wrong and deliver.
Of course, there's no answer for what Ayton will do in Los Angeles in early October. That will be mapped out throughout the regular season and cemented throughout April, May, and, if the Lakers are viable enough, in June.
Who Else Can Contribute?
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Jaxson Hayes was productive as the Lakers' starting center after the team traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. But he was also over-matched in the playoffs.
Right now, he pencils in as Ayton's backup, providing a lob threat with athleticism and energy. Kleber, more of a cerebral big man than an athlete, would be a third-string center. Other options include Christian Koloko (on a two-way contract) and Vanderbilt (as a small-ball option).
In the backcourt, Vincent and Smart could prove extremely valuable as defenders, especially if they can hit open shots off the catch. Bronny James may not have an obvious path to rotation minutes when the team is at full strength, but injuries may allow him to show how he's grown both as a playmaker and defender. Two-ways Chris Mañon and Nick Smith Jr. may spend most of their time on the South Bay Lakers. Thiero must get healthy first, but projects to be a strong switchable defender who must develop on offense.
Finally, Dalton Knecht showed flashes of elite shot-making from the perimeter as a rookie, but he lacked consistency and isn't a great defensive fit alongside Dončić and Reaves. His best chance to break into the rotation is still as an elite floor spacer, but he'll need to outshine LaRavia (or rely on injuries to give him the opportunity).
What's the Best Case for the Lakers?
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L.A. shouldn't be penciled in as the best team in the Western Conference, but they're top-5 and arguably higher if Ayton and LaRavia have tremendous seasons. The Lakers have a lot that makes sense on the roster, but defense is the most significant question mark.
James, who admits he is nearing the end of his career, spent extra time this offseason working on the catch-and-shoot, anticipating he'll play more off the ball than possibly any time in his career.
Even last year with Hayes at center, the Lakers showed they could play at an elite level. It wasn't until they drew a difficult matchup against the size of the Minnesota Timberwolves that it all fell apart. With better postseason matchups, improved health, and a weaker Eastern Conference (due to multiple injuries, such as those suffered by Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics), a Western Conference team could win for the second straight year.
Can it be the Lakers over the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves (among others)?
Yes. But it will take a tremendous amount of work, a bit of luck and, above all else, a healthy roster when it matters most.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
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